Batman Extras
by Philippa
Summary: Bonus scenes from my Batman stories.
1. Ari's Birthday

**A/N** A deleted scene from _Night Falling_, chapter 11. Enjoy!

After the movie, the four of them returned to the Pappas' apartment building. Once inside, Marissa and Ari ran ahead up the stairs, but Niko caught Rick's arm and held him back. "Listen man, you can come up if you want, but if I were you I'd cut out now. All my relatives are packed in up there and it's going to be crazy."

Rick looked up the dark stairwell and heard a rumble of conversation and laughter. "Is there food up there or not?"

Niko grinned. "Yeah, there's food. Really good food."

"Then why are we standing down here?" Rick took the stairs two at a time, the other boy pounding behind him.

Niko hadn't exaggerated. They had to nudge a fat man ("My Uncle Alex," Niko said, patting his Uncle's stomach affectionately) out of the way before they could even open the door wide enough to slip inside the apartment where a maelstrom of Greek and English assaulted their ears, and then they could only make inching progress as they picked their way around a trio of older women ("My Aunts Sophia, Agatha, and Eunice," Niko explained and Rick had to shake hands and get his face clucked over by each one), and forced a path through the small children that seemed to pop out of even the tiniest space ("Cousins," Niko grunted, detaching a small boy from his leg and shoving in the direction of the aunts).

They had almost made it to the food table when a tall girl chattering furiously in Greek suddenly grabbed Niko's elbow and hauled him away. Rick found himself alone in the middle of the crowd where everyone obviously knew everyone else and had a thousand things to say. He felt an odd tightening in the pit of his stomach, and he suddenly wished he had taken Niko's advice and skipped the last part of the party.

"Rick, you must eat!" a voice exclaimed in his ear, and Mrs. Pappas was suddenly shoving a plate into his hand and piling it with tiny kabobs, grape leaves, falafel, baklava, and half a dozen other things he didn't know the names of. "You are too skinny," she told him sternly, crowning the pile of food with an orange. "So you eat." She firmly guided him to a spot against the wall and refused to leave until he had stuffed his mouth with a spinach and feta pie.

"Hey, you're the guy who skates on his face," someone said, and Rick turned to see a stocky guy with Niko's curly hair and broad grin.

"That's me," he admitted, swallowing his mouthful. "So are you Niko's cousin or uncle or what?"

The other guy laughed. "His brother, Hector."

"I'm Rick." He shifted his plate so they could shake hands. "Do you play soccer too?"

Hector shrugged and made a face. "I play when I can but … work. Plus night school. It's a drag, but what can you do? Hey, did you catch the Brazil/Argentina game last night?"

They talked about soccer until a loud clanging brought everyone's conversations to a halt. Demetrios stood on a chair behind the food table, and he kept banging the saucepan as his mother lit the candles on a large, sticky looking cake.

"Enough!" she exclaimed, snatching his metal spoon away and swatting his backside with it. Demetrios jumped up down and his father stepped forward and set Ari on the vacated chair. She had changed into a frilly pink dress and wore a crown on top of her curls. The room burst into what might have been a version of "Happy Birthday," although there were a lot of Greek phrases thrown in and nobody was in the same key. Hector covered his ears and bellowed along, but Rick was laughing too hard to do the same.

When the song was over, everyone surged forward to get their piece of cake and a chance to kiss the birthday girl and put a present on the floor by her chair. When it was Rick's turn, he dropped the wrapped scarf he had bought (tissue paper much the worse for its journey in his pocket) onto the pile and said, "Hey, thanks for inviting me."

Ari pouted. "Aren't you going to kiss me? It is my birthday."

Rick rolled his eyes and leaned forward, but instead of kissing her cheek he whispered, "You're a brat."

She giggled and whispered back, "Be nice to me, or I'll tell Skatz."

Shaking his head, Rick moved on to take his piece of cake. "Thanks a lot, Mrs. Pappas. The food was really good."

She took his face in her hands and placed a sound kiss on each cheek. "You can eat here any time."

It took him five minutes to squeeze his way to the door, and part of the cream filling of his cake ended up on the tip of Aunt Sophia's fake fur stole, but at last he was free and hurrying to the ground floor. Outside, Niko sat on the steps along with Marissa, Demetrios, and a few cousins.

"Hey, Rick, you leaving?"

"Yeah, I gotta get home."

Niko got up and walked down the block with him. "You really didn't have to stay for that."

"And miss your mom's cooking? Besides … your family's nice."

"Right. They're so nice they'll trample you to death on the way to the baklava."

Rick just laughed and shook his head. "I'll see you later."


	2. AU Kiss

**A/N **This is an alternate ending to Chapter 16 that didn't quite fit with the "real" storyline but that was tons of fun to write out. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 16: AU Ending

"Kiss!" came the shout, and then everyone was chanting it. "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Barbara cast a sideways glance at Trevor, but he still looked calm and resigned to the night's overwhelming losses. Sighing, she started around the table, eager to get it over with. A quick peck, she thought and it would be all over. But then she caught sight of Rick's face, and he didn't look smug or even happy. He seemed anxious, but determined, as though he were bracing himself for something. Then he caught her eyes, and his expression immediately smoothed over beneath a smile, but she wasn't fooled.

When she had wagered the kiss, she had arrogantly assumed that even if she had to pay up, Rick, at least, would enjoy it. But now … _He doesn't want to do this_, she realized, _of course not. I've humiliated him, put his little crush on display for the whole school to look at_. But it was too late for anyone to back out. Abruptly, she made a new decision. _Maybe it was a dishonorable bet, but at least I can pay it honorably._ She had a plan, and she was going to follow it through. What she didn't expect, was that she would enjoy doing it.

***

Rick stood up as Barbara approached, trying to look happy, like a guy who had just won a big jackpot. Actually, the last thing he wanted to do was the kiss the girl he'd been dreaming about in front of a big crowd that included her current boyfriend. He was painfully aware of the difference in their heights. _She's probably going to bend down and kiss me on the forehead like I'm two,_ he thought glumly, but Barbara looked at him inscrutably for a moment, and then kicked off her heels so that she was only one inch, instead of four, taller.

"Thanks," he muttered wryly, surprised but grateful and not minding the little gale of laughter that rippled through the spectators.

She smiled and leaned forward slowly, giving him plenty of time to tilt his head and avoid the ever embarrassing nose bump. _At least she gave me that much_, he thought, and waited for the quick tap that he was pretty sure was all he could expect.

So he wasn't ready as her warm, full lips moved slowly across his and teased open his mouth, wasn't ready for the way her eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into the kiss, wasn't ready for the way he forgot about the cheers and catcalls rising around them or the way his own hand rose to trail down her satin cheek onto the curve of her neck, regardless of where they were or who was watching.

Barbara pulled back suddenly and he heard her soft gasp, saw her green eyes fly open wide, startled, and a little dazed. Rick watched her, still not quite able to remember where he was, but fortunately, Johnny was right there, reveling in the unexpected drama capping his party. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a twenty thousand dollar kiss looks like! Give it up for tonight's very big winner!" He grabbed Rick's hand and lifted it triumphantly into the air as the crowd clapped enthusiastically. "And let's also hear it for the night's big loser, the man who risked it all, lost it all, and who certainly deserves some applause! Come on up, Trevor!"

Trevor reluctantly got to his feet as the crowd obediently clapped. Johnny put one hand on his shoulder and the other on Rick's. "Now, as we all know, what happens in this room, stays in this room, so shake hands, gentlemen, and be friends."

Rick stuck out his hand, but it stayed empty. Meeting Trevor's eyes, he realized that the previous resignation had disappeared, to be replaced by pure fury. _Maybe_, he thought, _the Tren was as surprised by that kiss as I was_. And some wicked impulse, born of euphoria and triumph and mischief, prompted him to ask with his most innocent expression, "What's the matter, T? Did you want to put up stakes for another round?"

Rick was decidedly unfocused, but not so much that he didn't see Trevor's fist swinging toward him and deliberately decide to stand there and be knocked silly. But the punch that landed on his jaw knocked all such noble intentions clean out of his head, and as he staggered backward, he forgot about being responsible in a wave of rage. Trevor was stepping forward to follow up with a second hit, and Rick tackled him with enough force to send them both careening into the poker table. Plastic chips showered across the room as they struggled, and Rick managed one good punch before hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away. He had just enough sense to let them.

The room was frozen in a stunned silence as the two panting rivals glared at each other, and then somebody screamed, "Johnny!" The crowd magically parted and Darla stumbled through, a dark, ugly stain across the shoulder of her dress. "Johnny, everyone, come quick," she sobbed. "There's been a murder!"


	3. Alex in Colombia

**A/N **This deleted scene from chapter 22 of _Night Falling_ picks up during Alex and Rick's drive to Dr. Marquez's compound from the airport. I hope you enjoy it!

It was a three hour drive, but they were nearly there before Alex spoke again. "I think you'll like Dr. Marquez. He's an eccentric but generous man, and I'm almost certain he won't mind an unexpected house guest. Especially since he's asked a lot of questions about you. He says you remind him of himself as a young man."

Richard didn't even try to look interested, but only continued to stare out the windows at the passing greenery. Alex rambled on, helplessly uneasy in the presence of this boy he had thought he knew so well. "The animal life is incredible. This morning there was a monkey that stole an apple right off our breakfast table on the patio. And you can catch piranhas in the river."

Cringing at the sound of his own senseless chatter, Alex was relieved when the chain link fence of the compound came into view. Stopping the car in front of the gate, he hopped out to use his key on the padlock and then drove the Land Cruiser inside the compound to park beneath the carport.

Richard climbed out and glanced around. Alex followed his gaze, the familiar sight seeming strange again with the presence of someone from home. Palm and oak trees shaded a sunken swimming pool, while hammocks were slung in the shade. The white walls of the main house gleamed in sharp contrast to the red tile roof, and plumeria trees ran riot against the near wall. Next to the house was the shed that housed the generator, and on the other side of the compound clustered the thatched wooden houses of the caretaker's extended family.

Two boys raced out from behind one of the buildings, dueling over a tattered soccer ball. Alex wondered whether they would invite Richard to play with them, and if the favored ward of Bruce Wayne would feel comfortable playing with kids who may or may not own a second pair of shoes.

Richard's eyes weren't on the boys, but on the perimeter of the compound. "Not much of a fence."

Alex remembered the miles long stone wall that ringed Wayne Manor, fortified with electrified wire and panned by surveillance cameras. "Not really," he agreed.

* * *

Late that night, Alex slipped into the chair in front of the compound's only computer. It was also in the only air conditioned room, and he settled back and enjoyed the chill as he waited for the machine to boot up.

To Alex's relief, Dr. Marquez hadn't been the least bit phased by Richard's arrival. In fact, he had seemed pleased to meet the student Alex had bragged so much about, and had promptly suggested a chess game. Before he could remember where he had put the board, however, he had been struck by a sudden insight and hurried off to write it down. He hadn't reappeared until dinner time. Alex smiled to himself and shook his head. The elderly mathematician was possibly the most brilliant person he had ever met, but he was undoubtedly the most eccentric.

The satellite Internet connection finally online, Alex opened Google and typed in "Bailey shooting Gotham." The next moment, his jaw dropped as he stared at the list of blue links: "School Shooter Targets Wayne Ward," "Richard Grayson witnesses classmate's suicide," "'I thought Rick was dead,' one student's eyewitness account." And the list went on.

Numb with shock, Alex clicked on a feature article from the Gotham Globe.

…_one eyewitness reports that Bruce Wayne arrived at the school while Grayson was being held hostage, in response to a cell phone call from his ward. No member of the Wayne family was available for comment._

Even though he was done reading, Alex continued to stare at the computer screen, his mind reeling. _A shooting at Bailey, that was all he said. Not, I was taken hostage. Not, I saw my classmate blow his brains out._ He understood now why Wayne had wanted the kid out of Gotham. _The media is all over this. As if he hadn't been traumatized enough._

But he was still confused about why Richard had come to Colombia alone. _If he wants him safe, why send him here, alias or not?_ And then he realized, _He wasn't sending him to Colombia. He was sending him to me._ For a moment, a feeling of honor overwhelmed him, but then he pushed it aside. _How I feel about it isn't important. But I still don't understand why he's here alone._ Wayne was both a flake and an idiot, but he took his parenting duties, as Alex knew from firsthand experience, very seriously. _If I had a son who'd gone through something like that, I wouldn't let him out of my sight._

His eye caught on the article's final sentences again: _Bruce Wayne arrived at the school …_

_Maybe,_ Alex thought cautiously, an idea evolving, _maybe he couldn't handle it. If he saw Richard, covered in that other boy's blood, it could have reminded him too much of himself._ He had long suspected that Wayne had never truly dealt with the long ago murders of his parents. _And it was Alfred who made the call. Maybe Wayne didn't send him away from Gotham. Maybe Alfred sent him away from Wayne._

As an explanation, it wasn't entirely satisfactory, but it was the only one he could think of.

Over the next week and a half, Alex watched his student carefully. On the surface, Richard seemed fine. He spent hours playing soccer with the caretaker's sons and nephews, his Spanish improved, and he was unfailingly polite in the face of Dr. Marquez's absent-mindedness. He and Alex talked over everything he'd been studying with Dr. Ray back in Gotham, and he seemed eager to discuss Marquez's work whenever they managed to pin the mathematician's mind onto a conversation in the present. But he never talked about home. When directly questioned, he answered as briefly as possible and then changed the subject.

Alex desperately wished he could talk the whole thing over with Alfred.


End file.
